Crusty
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Memphis, Houston plan to keep their coaches
Two of the most sought-after young coaches in the nation will face off when Justin Fuente's Memphis faces off against Tom Herman's Houston.
Houston and Memphis will play Saturday in a top-25 matchup that figures to shape the American Athletic Conference race. On a bigger-picture scale, the game features two of the hottest names in coaching search circles; Power 5 athletic directors, including those at Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia Tech, have been tracking Houston's Tom Herman and Memphis' Justin Fuente for years, not just during their prodigious 2015 seasons.
But that's not to say the leaders at Houston and Memphis are sitting back, resigned to lose their promising, young coaches to programs with more money and a far better path to the College Football Playoff.
In fact, following the lead of former mid-major programs such as TCU and Utah, they're working to position themselves to soon become the equal of any program wooing Herman and/or Fuente.
Houston's administration this year has publicly lobbied to eventually join the Big 12, taking the cause to legislators in Austin. David Rudd, Memphis' president, said his school has power-conference ambitions, as well. Rudd said he expects another round of realignment dominoes to fall in the next two years, and his school will be prepared for it.
"[We are] always looking out on the long term for the university and for the athletic department," Rudd told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg this week. "I've encouraged people to recognize that we are way out in front of this issue. We are way out in front of efforts to retain our coach, retain our coaching staff and make sure we’re competitive."
That’s where today's carousel notes begin, the pitches at Houston and Memphis to keep their coaches.
Two of the most sought-after young coaches in the nation will face off when Justin Fuente's Memphis faces off against Tom Herman's Houston.
Houston and Memphis will play Saturday in a top-25 matchup that figures to shape the American Athletic Conference race. On a bigger-picture scale, the game features two of the hottest names in coaching search circles; Power 5 athletic directors, including those at Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia Tech, have been tracking Houston's Tom Herman and Memphis' Justin Fuente for years, not just during their prodigious 2015 seasons.
But that's not to say the leaders at Houston and Memphis are sitting back, resigned to lose their promising, young coaches to programs with more money and a far better path to the College Football Playoff.
In fact, following the lead of former mid-major programs such as TCU and Utah, they're working to position themselves to soon become the equal of any program wooing Herman and/or Fuente.
Houston's administration this year has publicly lobbied to eventually join the Big 12, taking the cause to legislators in Austin. David Rudd, Memphis' president, said his school has power-conference ambitions, as well. Rudd said he expects another round of realignment dominoes to fall in the next two years, and his school will be prepared for it.
"[We are] always looking out on the long term for the university and for the athletic department," Rudd told ESPN's Adam Rittenberg this week. "I've encouraged people to recognize that we are way out in front of this issue. We are way out in front of efforts to retain our coach, retain our coaching staff and make sure we’re competitive."
That’s where today's carousel notes begin, the pitches at Houston and Memphis to keep their coaches.
Yeah, bigger programs are offering more money and a path to the CFP THIS year. But I'm sure Herman's going to wait around and hope the Big XII extends Houston an invite
